Huge MCRHL Games Highlight January 17-25

The MCRHL hosted two events recently, one January 17th and 18th in Homer Glen, IL and the other January 24th and 25th in Centerville, OH. Many exciting games were played with big implications in the standings going into the last few weeks of the season. Following are spotlights on specific games and teams that had a big impact over the last two weeks. January 17 Illinois 5, Ohio State 4 The Fighting Illini continued their up and down season with a huge win over the Buckeyes, who were tied with Western Michigan in the loss column before this game. Mike Buell scored with 1:35 remaining to give the Illini the lead for good with the help of goaltender Kurt Peterson. The win gives Illinois two wins over top 25 opponents on the season, and they certainly must be considered a threat to make some noise in the MCRHL Tournament the first weekend of March. Ohio State B 4, Eastern Michigan B 3 This game shook up the entire B Division as the undefeated, #1 ranked Eagles fell for the first time this season, which also gave Michigan B and Western Michigan B a chance to win the division. The MVP of the game would have to be Phillip Krawec, the goaltender for the Buckeyes, as he turned away 41 of 44 Eastern Michigan shots. The game was highlighted by an amazing finish, with Justin Friedman of EMU tying the game at 3 with just 28 seconds remaining followed by Troy Vereshack responding for OSU with a goal with only 14 seconds to go to clinch the huge upset. Although the Buckeyes will be seeded somewhere between 4th and 6th, the win kept them in good position for avoiding one of the top three teams early in the tournament. January 24 Ohio State 9, Eastern Michigan 8 It turns out the B version of this game was a preview of the A game, as this featured game was one of the best MCRHL games of the season. Although Ohio State was ranked 17th and ahead in the standings, Eastern Michigan had a good run at NARCh and looks to be making a big charge up the standings as they hit what will be the weaker part of their schedule. The game began with a strong outburst from the Eagles putting them up by a score of 4-1. The Ohio State fan base was a little upset by the early performance of their #17 ranked team, but as they watched, it became apparent that the tide would turn. In the second period, OSU fought back to tie the game at 4 goals a piece, but they were quickly turned away when Eastern scored to put them back on top. From there the teams traded goals, and ended the period with a score of 6-5 EMU. OSU's coach must have had some pretty inspiring words during the break because the Buckeye's came out to score three quick goals; one of these was a pass across the front of the net that was batted out of mid-air by Jeff Nagle. With OSU now up by two, it looked as though the game was over, but EMU refused to die. They scored two late goals to knot the score at 8. In the final minute of the game, the pace was furious with both teams getting quality opportunities. With 1.8 seconds left, OSU stole the puck, ran down the boards two-on-one, and scored top shelf from a pass across the crease. Final score 9-8, OSU. January 25 Illinois State 3, Ohio State 2 After beating EMU and looking like a real force, Ohio State was upended by the Redbirds of ISU, who are showing they are gearing up for the MCRHL Tournament as well. This loss really hurt the Buckeyes? chances to catch Western Michigan for second place. The win for ISU will open up eyes both regionally and nationally, as the ?birds may be on the bubble come national championship time. Illinois State still has eight regular season games to play, tied for most in the league, which leaves them the opportunity to do a lot of moving in the standings. The Redbirds are hosting games this weekend against Purdue, Ball State, and Illinois, which will give a strong indication of where they will end up in the standings. Teams on the move Illinois According to the computer, the Fighting Illini have had the toughest schedule so far in the MCRHL. They have already played their two games against Ohio State, Western Michigan, and Michigan State, which signals an easier 6 games to finish the season, if there is such a thing in the Midwest. Currently the Illini sit in eighth, but are within 5 points of fifth place and could reasonably finish anywhere in between. Look for the results of their games this weekend against Ball State, Purdue, and Illinois State to see how this team will finish the season. Eastern Michigan Another team that suffered through a tough early season schedule was the Eastern Michigan Eagles. However, they were able to pick up a couple of players at the semester break, and had a strong showing in Las Vegas to give them a boost heading into the last half of the season. The Eagles? disadvantage now is that they are sort of ?sitting ducks? in the standings because most of the teams below them have games in hand. Their two games against the Wolverines this semester, one of which will be played this weekend, will play a large role in their seeding. Illinois State The Redbirds, who host 3 teams at the Interstate Center this weekend, will need a few big wins this semester to get one of the higher seeds, but they are the third hottest team in MCRHL play right now, with 3 straight wins. If they can make it 6 straight this weekend and jump to 10-5 in league play, watch out for them making a strong push for a top four spot. Michigan The Wolverines don?t have a great shot of catching any of the top three teams, but they will have some pivotal games upcoming, which could either keep them in fourth or decrease their position dramatically. They sit only one point ahead of Eastern Michigan, who they play this weekend, and only three points ahead of Illinois State, who they will also play this semester. These games will be a gut-check for Michigan, who either will remain a top-25 team and national contender, or will be reduced to a bubble team by the end of February. The Wolverines also finish their series with #1 ranked Michigan State this weekend, which will be another tough game to earn points in. Stay tuned to MCRHL.com and NCRHA.org for standings and scores as the above teams and more look to get in good position for the inaugural MCRHL Tournament in March.